The Clearwater Solution
by ShadowPast620
Summary: Seth does what no one else has been able to do – stop Bella from marrying Edward.


o*o*o*o*o*o

The morning sun streaming through the window warmed Bella's face and pulled her gently from sleep. She yawned and stretched – and froze. Something was wrong. Under the sheet and wooly blanket covering her, she was naked. Bella never slept naked. She sat up in bed, taking in her surroundings and realized that not only was she not in her own bed in her own room, she had no idea where she was. Laid out across the foot of the bed was a large t-shirt. Bella slipped it over her head and got out of bed to look for her clothes. A search of the room produced no results, and there was nothing under the bed or the mattress. It was quiet, wherever she was, so she guessed she wasn't in Forks any more. She padded quietly over to the window, hoping for a clue, and only discovered that she was definitely not in Forks nor was she anywhere she remembered ever being. The smell of coffee drifted into the room. Bella's stomach grumbled and she wondered at hunger winning out over fear. She stood still and closed her eyes for a second, listening. There was no sound other than the surrounding forest noises and no real sense of foreboding or threat. Having learned nothing of use in the bedroom Bella decided to venture out and look for answers.

Slipping silently across the hall to use the bathroom, Bella proceeded down the hall to the kitchen. Seth Clearwater was sitting at the table, eating breakfast. He got up when Bella came in and set a plate of food at the place across from him. He poured a glass of orange juice and a mug of coffee for her and greeted her. "Sit down, Bella. Eat."

"Seth? Do you know where my clothes are?"

"Yes. Sit down and eat before your eggs get cold."

Bella hesitated. As relieved as she was to see Seth, there was still a slight tingling sense of foreboding. "Seth, what's going on?"

"Eat, Bella. Questions after."

The tone of his voice told her she wouldn't get any answers until she did as instructed, so Bella gave in and sat down. There was nothing special about the food on her plate – fried eggs and toast – but the eggs were done just the way she liked them and the toast was perfect. Seth smiled and went back to his own plate as Bella devoured her food. Bella drank the orange juice and pulled her mug of coffee closer. It, too, was just the way she liked it with cream and sugar. Tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, Bella tried again. "Seth, I need to get home. Today's my wedding day."

Seth met her gaze. Bella didn't recognize the man behind the neutral mask. "There isn't going to be a wedding, Bella."

"What? What are you talking about? Why not?"

"Because I can't let you throw your life away. You're out of time to pull your head out of your ass and see the truth. It's obvious to all of us that you can't be trusted to act in your own best interest, so I'm going to save you from yourself."

Bella stood up, as if the miniscule gain in height would give her any kind of advantage over him. "This is ridiculous, Seth! Take me home! I love Edward. He's the man –"

Seth grimaced. "Edward Cullen is the walking corpse of a conceited, spoiled, rich white kid with too much time on his hands. He's used to getting his own way and sooner or later, he will kill you, Bella. He says he loves you. What he really wants is to eat you – and not in a good way. Not on my watch. You belong to me."

Bella stared at Seth as if he'd lost his mind. "What do you mean I belong to you? Take me home right now! Edward will be looking for me."

'It will take him a while to realize no one knows where you are. Longer to figure out where to even begin looking. Not that Sam will let him over the Treaty Line to search for you." Seth rose from his chair and rounded the table until he stood so close to Bella she could feel the heat of his body. As much as she didn't want to look into his eyes, the sculpted planes of his chest and abs were far more disconcerting. A warm finger gently tipped her chin up and Seth leaned down to brush his lips across her cheek and whisper in her ear, "You're my imprint."

Bella quickly put some space between them. "I didn't know that. You never told me, Seth. No one told me. How could you have possibly kept something like that a secret?"

"No one knows. I fought it and kept it secret because Jake is crazy in love with you. It really looked like you were getting better. I was sure that you'd fall in love with him. And I was willing to live with that. As long as you were with Jake I could be close to you. I knew he'd take care of you, protect and love you, and I could be a part of your life somehow. Then Cullen came back and you ran right back to him. I was sure Jake would change your mind or fight for you. Maybe even claim you himself. But he got too caught up in wanting you to be happy. He wanted you to have a choice. You chose wrong, Bella."

Bella backed up a bit more. "But that's not necessarily a bad thing, right? Imprints can be friends. I need all the friends I can get. The Cullen's all love you. This will be great."

Seth advanced on Bella, laughing bitterly. She backed away until she ran out of room and her heart sank as she realized she had backed herself into a corner. "Let me clear something up for you, Bella. We tell our imprints they have a choice because the whole supernatural shifter bullshit is a bit much to handle. The truth is the wolf is about three things. Protection, food and mate. Friends? Right. My wolf is not your friend. He may not be Alpha of the pack, but he's your Alpha and right now," Seth pressed Bella's hand over his throbbing erection, "he's howling at me to put you on your knees and make it clear to you who's in charge. I'm through fighting him on this, Bella. I am going to claim and mark you."

Bella pulled her hand away in shock. "You can't! I don't love you, Seth!"

"I love you with everything I am. Always have. I just don't like you very much right now." Seth slipped his hand under Bella's shirt and gently stroked her back. "The wolf just wants to hold you down and lick you. Love doesn't enter into it for him."

Bella tried to retreat from Seth's heat and the way it felt to have his hands on her body, but there was nowhere to go. She tried again to reason with him. "Seth, this is wrong. Edward is your friend. Jacob is like your brother. I don't think you've really –"

"Thought this through?" Seth pulled her close, tangling one hand in her long hair. He tugged gently until she had no choice but to look into his eyes. "There's not much to think about, Bella. You're my imprint. If I let Edward bite you, you'll die and I will, too. It's suicide." Seth ran his tongue over the pulse point in Bella's neck and nipped her earlobe. "I have better things to do." Any further protests were silenced by the insistent sweetness of Seth's kiss.

Bella stiffened in rebellion at Seth's invasion of her space. She was righteously outraged that he would presume to take her away from all the people she loved and all the plans she had made for the perfect life that could only be lived as a member of the Cullen family. She had summoned the courage to walk away from Jacob and she would leave Seth Clearwater in the dust just as easily, imprint or no. Bella worked her hands between them and pushed against Seth's chest with all her strength. Seth took Bella's left hand and held it up between them. "Where's your ring, Bella?"

"My ring?"

"Yes, your engagement ring. Why aren't you wearing it?"

"I… It's… I never wanted the damned ring! It's too much!"

"What do you want, Bella?"

"I want… I want a life. I want kids and a home and someone who loves me. What does any girl want? What do you want, Seth?"

He responded by tracing the outline of her lips with his tongue and when she gasped at the heat of his hand cupping her soft derrière, he plundered her mouth with a passion Bella had only imagined she might someday experience. Little by little the heat of Seth's body and the warm velvet of his caresses seeped through a crack in Bella's resolve. For the first time in a very long while the pressure and expectations that weighed her down eased and she began to relax in his arms.

There was nothing angry or aggressive about the way Seth touched her. He was every bit as warm and strong as Jacob, but he was quieter, softer, almost hypnotic. Jacob was Alpha in every sense of the word. He radiated power. He was vibrant and alive and straightforward. Seth was the power behind the throne. He was a candle in the window, mittens and hot cocoa on a winter's day, the unspoken truth. He was, Bella realized, as natural and easy as breathing. She stopped trying to push him away and let herself feel the man under her fingers. She knew Seth. She liked him. She stretched her arms up around Seth's neck and he lifted her up to his level, wrapping her legs around his waist.

Bella looked into Seth's eyes and stroked his cheek. Sighing heavily, he closed his eyes and nuzzled her palm. In that unguarded moment Bella saw the boy she knew. The boy who had lost so much – his innocence, his childhood, his plans for the future. The boy who watched his father die. The warrior who had offered up his life against Riley and Victoria to ensure she lived to have another chance to make the right choice. Like the clouds parting to reveal the sun, the veil was lifted and Bella saw clearly how big a role she had played in all the pain and chaos that had impacted everyone's lives. She remembered how Billy and Jacob and even Edward had begged her to open her eyes and really think about what she was doing. For the first time Bella considered how her every action sent out ripples that touched the lives of everyone around her. In the light of the undeniable truth, what the Universe was asking of her now seemed a very small price to pay. Accepting the imprint and being with Seth, becoming a part of the Pack, was the first step in trying to set things right. Bella tangled her fingers in the midnight of Seth's hair and chose love and life.

If Seth was surprised at the touch of Bella's soft lips on his, the wolf accepted it as only right and proper and barked at Seth to stop wasting time. Their mate was trying to accept them and they had already waited too long. Bella never felt Seth move down the hall, but she did feel the cool air when he stripped off the t-shirt she was wearing and laid her on the bed. She blushed furiously and tried to cover herself. Seth stretched out at her side and gently brushed her hands away. "Don't hide, Bella. Let me love you."

Still uncomfortable Bella reached out and pulled Seth close, burying her nose in his shoulder. He smelled so good – like rain in the pine trees – and he felt safe, like nothing would ever get past him to hurt her. Bella heard him laugh softly and he nipped her neck. "Stop thinking, Bella. Close your eyes and feel."

Seth kissed and licked his way down to Bella's soft, pale breasts to suck a rosy bud deep into his mouth. Bella arched up against him, moaning softly. Neither Seth nor the wolf needed encouragement and he lavished attention on both breasts before licking his way down her body, pausing to circle her navel with his tongue as he moved down to pillow his head on her thigh. Bella stroked his hair, catching her breath when he gently slipped his fingers carefully between her folds. Seth held her open, memorizing every color and texture and slick, enticing scent of her. Bella moaned when he ran his tongue up the valley between her thighs and when he reached her clitoris and ran his tongue around it, sucking gently, Bella shattered into tiny pieces. Nibbling his way back up her body, Seth crushed her lips with his, plunging his tongue into her mouth as he thrust two fingers deep into her slick, wet heat. Bella came apart under him, moaning against his lips, her body clamping down on his fingers as she ground against him.

Giving in to the wolf, Seth flipped Bella over and hauled her to her knees. He was beyond ready for this. He had dreamed of making love to Bella for so long and now he almost sobbed as he eased the head of his aching cock gently into her warm, wet depths. Seth pushed gently, every fiber of his being focused on the tight caress of her body as he moved deeper into her. Bella gasped when Seth reached her barrier and he pulled back slowly, reveling in the stroking pull of her flesh, as if her body wanted him to stay buried in her. He moved in and out a few times, pressing further with each stroke, until finally he pushed through the resistance. Seth waited a few moments before he began to move, measuring his length out and into her like the tide against the shore. He stroked her back and ran his hands over her hips, pulling her against him as he moved into her, hitting a place deep inside that made her catch her breath. The wolf urged him on, but Seth kept up his slow, gentle pace. He loved Bella. For the man, this was about forging a bond, not dominating an errant mate.

Bella had known losing her virginity would hurt and it had, but now there was a new kind of torture. Having Seth deep inside her felt good – really good – but she needed more. She tried to move faster or push back harder, but his hands on her hips set the pace. She moaned in frustration and the wolf echoed the sentiment. "Seth, please."

"Tell me what you want, Bella. What do you need?"

Bella whimpered, unsure how to answer. "More. I don't… Faster. Harder."

Smiling, Seth pounded into her, glorying in the soft moan that followed each thrust home. When he could feel her walls begin to tighten around him, Seth pulled Bella up tight against his chest, running his teeth over the muscle where her soft neck sloped into her shoulder. Bella began to whimper and grind herself down on him, trying to take him deeper and when Seth nipped her neck she pushed down hard and clutched at the warm, strong arm encircling her waist. Seth surged up into her and sank his teeth into her, breaking the skin. Bella moaned and Seth growled at the taste of her blood on his tongue. Bella's body stroked and caressed Seth's shaft and he filled her, the wolf howling in triumph.

Seth cradled Bella against his chest, softly licking and nuzzling his mark, and waited for the enormity of what had just happened to hit her. The tears came soon enough. Seth slowly lowered Bella to the bed and wrapped his arms around her. He was encouraged and oddly comforted when she turned to him and buried her face in the hollow of his shoulder, clinging to him as she cried. He stroked her hair and hummed a lullaby Leah used to sing to him when he was awakened by the thunder or a bad dream.

As she cried out her grief over plans dashed and dreams lost Bella felt the carefully arranged pieces of her life shift into new orbits. Jacob Black always was and would ever be her sun, the truest and best friend of her heart, but Seth Clearwater had taken root in her belly and her heart and he would forever be the rock she clung to. He was her heart's new home and she was soothed by the knowledge that he and the pack stood with her. Edward Cullen spun off into the cosmos to take his place among the other cold and empty stars she had wished upon in vain. He was everything she had thought she wanted – and nothing that she needed. Bella pressed her lips against Seth's warm skin in gratitude and drifted off to sleep.

o*o*o*o*o*o

Bella woke to the strong, steady beat of Seth's heart under her cheek. She kept still, unsure of what to do or what to expect.

His voice was soft and quiet; a gentle, purring rumble in her ear. "Talk to me, Bella."

"Are all the imprints marked?"

"No. Only you."

Bella raised her head to gaze into Seth's eyes. "You said the wolf wanted to mark me. Why? What does it mean?"

Seth tenderly stroked her back, like calming a kitten. "It's a visible sign that you're taken and it carries my scent, so any wolf can tell you belong to me. Legend has it that once you're marked you can't respond to any other man or become pregnant by any man but your mate."

"The wolf doesn't trust me."

"It's not that he doesn't trust you, Bella. He just thinks you're confused." Seth sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I know he's a bully, but he does love you. He just wants you to be sure where you belong. We both want you to be happy. Loving someone is easy. Liking them takes a little more thought and effort. Trust is earned over time. It's just going to be a while before we're there."

Bella sighed. "What happens now?"

Seth groaned. "Eventually, we'll have to go back, tell everyone about us, and get on with life. We're a work in progress, but I have hope – for us and the pack. More compromise and less sacrifice. But it will take them all a while to figure out you're really gone and even longer to notice I'm missing, too. We have time." Seth ran his fingers over his mark. Bella shivered. "Does it hurt, Bella?"

"No. It feels… Do it again."

Seth did it again, drawing circles over and around the raised mark on Bella's neck. She rubbed against him, smiling. "It feels good. Don't stop."

Seth kissed her – slow and sweet, running his tongue over her lips and into her mouth, stroking her tongue, and listening to her heartbeat and breathing speed up. He smiled to himself as he ran his tongue over her throat and she let her head fall back in surrender. His voice was soft in her ear and it set her body on fire. "I would never hurt you. You never have to be afraid of me."

Seth moved down Bella's body and rubbed his cheek over her breasts, sucking and teasing her nipples. He looked deep into her eyes as he slid his hand down her belly and between her legs. "But I am going to make you scream." A promise that was kept – several times – until Bella lay limp and exhausted on his chest and they both drifted off.

o*o*o*o*o*o

Seth was tugged back to reality by a howl he recognized as Paul's. He pulled Bella close and kissed her, softly and sweetly, for a long time. "They've figured it out, Bella. Time to go back and face the firing squad."

Bella stretched. "Can I take a shower? I feel kind of –"

"Drippy?"

"Well - yes."

"Good. If I thought anyone would ever forgive me I'd set you down naked in front of Edward Cullen and let him watch my cum pool at your feet."

"Seth!"

Seth rolled Bella beneath him and nipped at the mark on her neck. "**Mine**. Always and only mine. No one else will ever touch you."

Bella hugged him tight and wrapped her legs around his waist. "Always and only yours." Seth propped himself up on his elbows. Bella gazed into eyes gone feral and luminous. "I do love you, Seth."

Seth growled and Bella pulled him down so she could kiss him. There was nothing shy or gentle in the way she held him and demanded entrance to his mouth, and the wolf met her challenge. Bella arched off the bed when Seth slid two fingers deep into her and spread her wetness so he could plunge his cock into her, fast and hard. He pounded into her until she came, moaning and breathless, and pulled out to turn her over onto her hands and knees. Seth buried himself in Bella's willing body and fucked her hard, pushing her over the edge a second time before he let himself go and came deep inside her. They collapsed on the bed and Seth spooned her, holding her gently against his chest.

A series of howls, closer this time, decided their next move. Seth opened a cupboard high above anything Bella could reach and tossed her a bag. "Come outside when you're dressed. We'll get back quicker if I phase and carry you on my back."

Bella nodded and started pulling clothes out of the bag and putting them on.

o*o*o*o*o*o

Seth loped easily into the small clearing where the pack stood facing the Cullen clan over the Treaty Line. Ignoring the tension and hostility, he carefully lowered his hindquarters so Bella could slide off his back, and then phased human. He unapologetically took his time untying his cut-offs and slipping them on. The pack was accustomed to seeing one another naked and thought nothing of it. Esme and Alice averted their eyes. Edward glared furiously. Rosalie appraised him coolly with a slight smile, and Bella was glad Edward couldn't read the real reason for her blush as she remembered how very much she had enjoyed getting to know Seth's body and what it could make her feel.

Edward toed the line, reaching out his hand toward Bella, "Thank God, you're safe, Love! The guests are all waiting. Come with us now; there's still time to have the wedding."

Bella backed into the protection of Seth's warm arms. "There isn't going to be a wedding, Edward. I'm with Seth now."

Jared turned his head toward Paul and snickered. "Been with him more than once, I'd say."

Paul sniffed dramatically. "Oh, yeah."

Edward scowled. "What do you mean you're with Seth? What has he done?"

Seth force fed Edward images of his claiming of Bella. Bella, fingers tangled in Seth's hair, writhing in ecstasy as he brought her to orgasm on the tip of his tongue. Bella, sucking on his tongue, raking her nails down his back as Seth drove her wild with his fingers. Bella meeting him thrust for thrust on her hands and knees as the wolf fucked her into joyous, willing submission. And the deepest cut of all; the sweet taste of her blood as the wolf marked her, filling her soft body with hot pulses of his seed, licking his scent into the wound on her pale neck.

Edward lunged at Seth, only to be caught and hauled back by Jasper and Emmett. "I'll kill you, Seth! How dare you defile my Isabella! You have no right to touch her!"

Seth laughed and ran his hands slowly over Bella's body, gently cupping her breasts and slipping his long fingers under the waistband of her jeans. Bella shivered and pressed harder against him. "I'm the only one who does have the right to touch her, you walking pigeon perch. She's my imprint."

"What?! Ridiculous! I've never seen anything in your mind, or the mind of any of the other mutts, that makes me believe for a second that Isabella is your imprint."

Seth's smirk would have made Paul jealous. "No one knows anything I don't want them to. We're all able to keep things private if we try – something you've never bothered to learn."

Edward looked genuinely confused, but Seth didn't give him time to speak. "You'd be amazed what a happy, little punk can do while everyone is patting him on the head and underestimating him. I can read you like a bad novel and you've never known. The blood of all three original pack members runs in my veins, Edward. Is it a surprise that I might have a few super powers of my own?"

Sam growled in reprimand when Collin muttered, "Any chance we'll get to see the ones you used on Bella?"

Edward sputtered in fury and tried to break away from his brothers. Bella sighed in frustration and stepped as far forward as the circle of Seth's arms allowed. "Enough! Stop it right now, both of you!"

Seth started to pull her back, but she put her hands over his and spoke softly, "I'll stay right here, Seth. It's ok."

A low growl rumbled over her, but Seth held his position, only stroking his fingers over her skin possessively. Bella drew herself up and spoke calmly, but quite clearly. "Imprint or not, I have accepted Seth and I am claimed and marked as his. It's over, Edward."

"No, it's not, Love. You're not to blame. You couldn't have stopped him, I know that. I forgive you for being confused. Just come to me and everything can still be as we planned."

It was Carlisle who gave the blade the fatal twist. "No, Edward. If Bella has been marked by a wolf she can't be changed. Your venom is poison to her now. She is his."

Edward sank to his knees, almost sobbing in frustration. "No, damn it! Bella is mine! I don't care if he put his filthy –"

Bella's composure finally snapped. "You overbearing, self-centered, repressed, controlling, pompous ass!"

Quil crowed in delight, "You tell him, Bells!"

Bella and Seth spoke as one, "Shut up, Quil!" Bella squeezed Seth's hands and continued. "How dare you inflict your uptight Victorian morals on us? Seth didn't defile me. He made love to me and it was sweet and wild and hot and completely normal and natural. And do you know what I loved most about it, Edward?"

Leah groaned, "Oh, I really don't want to hear this."

Seth glanced over his shoulder, "Shush, Lee. I do. Tell him, Bella,"

"I didn't have to beg him to touch me and he never made me feel guilty or cheap for wanting him. It's over. The treaty is dissolved. Take your family and your guests and leave. Now. Don't come back."

Sam raised an eyebrow at Bella's last statements, but kept his silence. Edward made one last desperate play. "You are not Alpha, Bella. Do you presume to speak for Sam? What about Jacob? Speak, Sam."

The canine undertone pulled the Alpha wolf to the surface in Sam's eyes and he glared at Edward for a time before speaking. "When I hear something I disagree with, I will."

Bella appealed to Carlisle. "Please, Carlisle. Think about it. When the treaty was drawn up, there was already a pack in La Push. There's a pack now because you came back. It's a genetic response to their natural enemy – you. Leah blames herself for her father's death, but it was your presence here and my stubborn stupidity that really killed Harry Clearwater. If I had listened to Billy and stopped seeing Edward…"

Carlisle considered what Bella had said. "Is that true, Sam? Did our return create the need for the pack?"

"We believe so, yes."

"Then the right thing to do is clear. In 24 hours we will all be gone, never to return. I will instruct my lawyer to present the Tribal Council with documents agreeing to the dissolution of the treaty, and ceding our land and the house to the tribe to be disposed of as Chief Black sees fit."

Edward wailed, wild eyed. "No! I won't go without Bella!"

Rosalie stepped forward and slapped Edward across the face, the sound of it echoing through the forest like thunder. "Get a grip on yourself, Edward! Bella made her choice – the right one, for a change – and it's time to go. Now pull yourself together or I'll shove you over the line so the dogs can use you for a chew toy."

Edward played his final card. "What about the Volturi?"

Seth wrapped his arms around Bella and growled. Bella spoke to Edward for the last time. "Tell them the truth. You lost me to a pack of wolves."

Paul laughed and slapped Seth on the back. "Oh, Hell, yeah! Ate her all up!"

Bella blushed as Seth led her off into the trees. Sam gave Edward one last glance. "Twenty four hours. One minute after and I'll tear you apart myself."

o*o*o*o*o*o

The mood at Sam's was cautiously jubilant. He sent Quil and Collin, and Jared and Brady out on patrol. "I expect most of the vamps are on their way home now. If they're leaving; let them go. One finger over the line? Light 'em up first; ask questions later."

Bella had showered and was helping Emily in the kitchen. Paul was watching her every move and after a bit Bella decided to try calling a truce. She pulled a beer out of the fridge and held it out to him silently. Paul took it from her, signature smirk firmly in place. "You smell better, Swan. The constant stench of leech made my head hurt."

"Paul, I'm sorry –"

"Karma, Swan. You'll have a son just like me who imprints on my daughter and we'll be forced to learn to live together in peace. In the meantime, treat Seth right and we're good. The past is just that."

Bella stretched up and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks."

Seth was sitting on the porch with Leah, Sam, and Embry when Bella made it out to him with a plate of food. He pulled her close and protested when she stole the pickle off the plate. Bella kissed him and promised to get another one later. Sam wasn't much worried about pickles. "When were you going to tell us about your super powers, Seth?"

Seth looked sheepish. "More like power, singular. I can read Edward's – well, all of them, actually - mind. He's a twisted fucker. Has a very peculiar sense of honor and he's pretty sure the universe owes him. A lot. You have no idea how hard it was not to twist his head off and use it for a jack-o-lantern sometimes. He really hated Jake and some of the shit he thought about Bella… Made me sick."

Bella stroked Seth's back, soothing him. "If you did what I think you did, I imagine he's pretty sick right now. Serves him right."

Leah snorted. "Nice 180, Swan. Don't make yourself dizzy or anything. Too bad your super power didn't make you imprint-proof, Seth."

Seth rounded on his sister. "Oh, for fuck's sake, Leah, give it up! Pull your head out of your ass and see that Taha Aki did you a huge favor. You and Sam would have torn each other apart over time. He needs the peace and nurturing Emily gives him."

"What about what I need, Seth? Why do I get to be the tribe freak? The only female wolf in forever?"

"You're not a freak, Lee. You're the Alpha female."

Leah stared at her younger brother, wide-eyed. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? I'm alone and infertile, but I get a cool title I can embroider on a pillow?"

"Seth and I don't think you're infertile, Leah."

"Really, Bella? Based on what?"

"Humans being the only mammals without a distinct mating season."

The blood drained from Leah's face as the meaning of what Bella had said sank in. "Mating season? As in I get to be the pack bitch in heat? Oh, that is just fucking fantastic! As if I don't already have these assholes sniffing my butt all the time! I. Don't. Think. So."

Everyone was surprised when Embry hauled Leah to her feet and shook her. "Stop being a fucking victim, Leah! I am so fucking sick of the 24/7 pity party! Seth said ALPHA female."

"So what, Call? What difference does that make?"

"Well, logically, the Alpha female would be mate to the Alpha male. I got no argument with Sam and I will follow him as long as he's Alpha, but we all know Jake was born to be Alpha of the pack and Chief of the tribe. He'll come back and when he does…"

"Black?! I'd rather die than fuck Jacob Black! Pretty sure he feels the same about me."

Embry pulled Leah hard against his chest and wrapped his arms around her, trapping her. He brushed his lips over her cheek and spoke softly in her ear. "Then you have two choices. Wait for mating season and submit to the wolf who wins the fight for you. Or take control of your life and choose your own mate." Leah's knees almost buckled when Embry released her, but she caught herself and stared at his chiseled back as he strode off into the trees.

Sam reached for her, but Seth quietly blocked him. "Don't, Sam. You need to let go of the past, too. You ok, Leah?"

"Yeah. Going for a run. I need to think."

Sam watched her go. "Ok, Seth, I'll give you that one. Speaking of the past, do you believe the Cullen's will just disappear like they promised? I don't trust Edward as far as I can throw him."

Seth studied Bella's face. She took his hand and pressed it to her breast, over her heart. "Say it, Seth. I'm sick to death of lies and being kept in the dark. "

"I wouldn't worry much about Edward. Esme and Carlisle really do love him like a son, but they expect him to do as he's told. The others? Rosalie has always hated him and lately Jasper has come to see him as a threat and a liability. Emmett will follow Rose and Jasper. Alice will speak her mind, but she won't get in Jasper's way. Honestly, I'd be surprised if he makes it out of Forks. Too much is at stake to allow his obsession with Bella to continue to put them all in danger. Sorry, Bella."

Bella snuggled into Seth's arms. "The past is just that. You'll think of something to make me feel better."

o*o*o*o*o*o

The sleek, gray wolf sat on the cliff top silhouetted by the full moon that blazed with silver fire, lighting up the terrain. The beach below looked alien, a barren stretch of diamond pebbled land littered with silver driftwood washed up on shore by the mercurial sea. The moon itself hung low in the night sky and looked close enough to touch. Leah had never felt more alone, or more hopeful. She took a deep breath and stretched out her mind until it ached.

Miles away, Quil felt her presence in the link. _"Wassup, Leah? Trouble?"_

_"__No, Quil. Just out for a run. Thinking. Thanks for asking."_

Quil paused a millisecond at the lack of heat and sarcasm in her tone, but let it go. _"OK. Later."_

Leah sighed at the reminder that privacy was long a thing of the past, but she was determined to leave the ruins of her life behind her and move forward, and the Alpha Female wasn't going to start her reign on a note of petulance and secrecy. _"I know you're out there, Jacob. There was no wedding. The Cullen's are gone. The treaty is dissolved. Bella is Seth's imprint, claimed and marked. They seem happy." _

Leah shook out her fur. _"Seth says I'm Alpha female. He and Bella think maybe I'm not a dead end; I just need to wait for mating season. Fucking fantastic. Somebody kill me now."_

The silence in the link was deafening. _"Come home, Jake. We all – I – need you."_

The reply was soft and very far away, but strong and clear…

**_"_****_On my way."_**


End file.
